This invention relates to electromechanical assemblies of single in-line packages (SIPs) on printed circuit (PC) boards; and more particularly, it relates to fasteners for holding the SIPs in place as they are soldered into the boards.
A SIP, as the term is herein used, is any electrical module that has several input/output signal pins which extend from the module in a single straight line and are intended to be soldered into a printed circuit board. That module from which the pins extend may include just a single integrated circuit chip, or it may include a substrate which carries and interconnects several integrated circuit chips.
Frequently, many SIPs (e.g., one hundred) and other electrical components are all mounted in combination for soldering on a single printed circuit board. When the components are mounted closely together, it is important that the SIPs stand perpendicular to the board. If the SIPs lean over, they can short to adjacent components, and they can block the flow of air past the adjacent components.
In the prior art, SIPs have been held upright on a printed circuit board (prior to being soldered in place) by bending and crimping the ends of their input/output pins against the bottom of the board. However, such crimping is undesirable from a repairability standpoint since a SIP with crimped input/output pins is difficult to remove from a board without pulling bonding pads from the board itself.
Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide a fastener for holding SIPs upright on a printed circuit board as they are being soldered in place.